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FOR  USE  ONLY  IN 
THE  NORTH  CAROLINA  COLLECTION 


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Doc. 

No.  24.]                                                  [Ses.  1858-'9.  . 

Ordered  to  be  Printed. 

Holden  &  Wilson,  Printers  to  the  State. 

MEMORIAL  OF  THE  WESTERN  RAILROAD 
COMPANY. 

To  the  Honorable,   the  Senate  and  House  of  Commons  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  North-Carolina. 

The  undersigned,  the  President  and  Directors  of  the  West- 
ern Railroad  Company  have  been  directed  by  the  stockhold- 
ers of  said  company  to  lay  before  your  honorable  bodies,  a 
statement,  of  the  condition  and  prospects  of  their  road,  and 
to  solicit  your  favorable  consideration  of  a  bill  for  aid  to  said 
work,  which  they  have  requested  their  representatives  to  in- 
troduce during  the  present  session. 

Our  object  is  to  show  you  what  has  been  done  on  our  road, 
and  to  satisfy  you  that  the  aid  we  ask  will  insure  its  comple- 
tion to  the  coal  fields,  and  certainly  develop  the  vast  mineral 
resoures  of  the  State. 

The  length  of  the  line  from  the  Cape  Fear  to  Deep  River, 
including  sidings  is  48  miles,  to  which  our  engineer  has  added 
for  lateral  tracks  in  the  coal  region,  3  miles,  making  46  miles 
of  road,  for  which  his  estimate  is  as  follows : 
For  graduation  on  the  first  25  miles,  based  on  con- 
tracts, more  than  half  of  which  has  now  been 
completed  and  the  remainder  in  progress,  $209,692  56 

For  graduation,  3rd  Division,  IS  miles,  for  which 

we  have  an  offer  below  estimates,  104,631  00 

For  superstructure  on  the  first  13f  miles,  based 

on  purchase  of  iron  and  contracts  made,  91.438  33 

! 


2  Document  No-.  24.  [Sessioo 

For  superstructure  of  29|  miles,  to  Deep  River, 

based  on  iron  at  $60  per  ton,  $203,675  00 

For  contingencies,  5,000  0O 


Making  for  graduation!  and  superstructure,.  $614,436  89» 
For  12  engines,  500  coal-cars,  box-cars,  gravel 

and  other  cars,  270,580  00 

For  water  stations,  depots,  shops  and  fixtures  for 

trans-shipping  coal,  95,000  00 

For  3  miles  of  track  to  coal  pits,  45,000  00 


#1,025,016  80 
The  offer  that  was  made  for  the  graduation  of  3rd  division 
was  based  upon  a  proposition  to  take  one-third  of  the  pay  in 
bonds  ;  with  cash  in  hand,  at  least  $20,000  could  be  saved  there. 
The  iron  has  been  contracted  for  at  ten  dollars  per  ton  less 
than  estimates,  making  a  saving  of  twenty -five  thousand  dol- 
lars on  that  item,  and  from  the  estimates  for  engines  and  roll- 
ing stock,  we  may  safely  deduct  $70,000,,  for  if  the  business- 
of  the  road  in  the  next  four  years,  should  require  the  amount 
estimated  for,  we  will  be  abundantly  able  to  buy  it,  without 
resorting  to  bonds.     Deduct  these  three  items  from  the  esti- 
mates, and  we  have  as  the  total  cost  of  the  road,  $905,016. 
Our  subscriptions  which  we  consider  good,  though 
a  small  portion   of  them  are  no>t  at   present 
available,  amount  to  $341,232  0O 

We  ask  for  aid  amounting  to  600,000  00 


$941,232  0(> 
A  sum  sufficient  to  complete  and!  eejnip  the  road  and  pay  the 
first  quota  of  interest  on  the  bonds  we  may  issue. 

Of  our  capital  stock,  we  have  expended  $297,000,  and  we 
have  12^  miles  of  road  completed  and  in  operation  ;  eight  miles 
more  on  which  the  gradation  has  progressed  so  far  that  it  can 
be  completed  in  two  months;  and  four  miles  more  on  which 
the  graduation,  (which  is  extremely  heavy,)  is  about  half  done  ; 
the  remainder  of  the  line,  17£  miles,  has  been  surveyed  and  is 
ready  for  the  contractor,  and  the  work  is  of  such  a  character 


1858-T9.J  Document  No.  24.  3 

that  it  can  be  completed  in  six  months.  The  iron  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  road  lias  been  contracted  for  at  $50  per  ton, 
duty  paid,  deliverable  in  New  York, — will  arrive  there  during 
this  and  the  next  month,  and  is  to  be  paid  for  in  four  months 
after  arrival.  If  the  laying  down  of  the  iron  can  be  com- 
menced by  the  first  of  February,  the  whole  line  can  be  com- 
pleted by  the  first  September  next. 

We  may  have  committed  an  error  in  making  a  contract  for 
this  iron,  when  we  did  not  know  exactly  how  it  was  to  be  paid 
fear,  but  we  were  so  deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
the  early  completion  of  this  work,  and  were  so>  anxious  that 
in  applying  to  your  honorable  body  for  aid,  we  should  come 
before  you  with  as  few  estimates  as  possible,,  that  we  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  depressed 
state  of  the  iron  market,  and  should  you  favor  our  application 
or  extend  to  us  your  aid,  in  any  other  way,  more  agreeable 
to  yourselves,  we  are  confident  that  we  will  have  saved  at 
least  $25,000,  and  hastened  the  completion  of  the  work  at 
least  six  months. 

Our  representatives  who  have  the  bill  in  charge,  will  ex- 
plain its  details,  and  why  we  apply  for  aid  in  that  way,  and 
will  also,  show  the  importance  of  this  road  to  the  whole  State, 
and  its  vital  importance  to  this  community. 

We  have  given  you  a  full  and  fair  statement  of  facts.    Again 
invoking  a  favorable  consideration  of  our  application  for  aid,. 
We  subscribe  ourselves, 

Very  Respectfully, 

Your  ob't  servants, 

C.  B.  MALLETT,  President. 

George  W.  Hill, 

Henry  L.  Myrover, 

L.  J.  Hinsdale, 

John  H.  Cook, 

Wm.  McLahtrin, 

James   Kyle. 

T.     S.     LuTTERLOHr 

W.   T.   Hornet, 
A.  A.  McKethan, 

Directors    Western  Railroad  Company  * 


